Toy figure simulating a jump shot

ABSTRACT

An easy to manufacture toy figure ( 10 ) simulating a jump shot or a hook shot for simulated games using aerial projectiles, plus a method to play a simulated game of basketball using said toy figure. A base ( 11 ) supports resilient means ( 12 ) which may be bent or compressed and then released to rebound substantially to their original form and position with speed sufficient to throw an aerial projectile ( 15 ) which was placed upon hands ( 14 ) of an animate body ( 13 ) attached to said resilient means. Said resilient means may be provided by a coil, leaf or other type of spring, or by a resilient or elastic material forming a part of the body or the base. Said animate body ( 13 ) may be designed to resemble popular ballplayers for marketing purposes, including player numbers on club color uniforms, with fixed or rotatable arms.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] Not applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This invention relates to toy figures, specifically to toy figures used to project a simulated game aerial projectile.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Various types of simulated games using an aerial projectile, popular with children and adults alike, are known in the art. The projectile is usually propelled by a simple catapult or a spring launcher, which sometimes replace a simulated ballplayer figure at the time of shooting the projectile toward a goal. Neither the launchers nor their substitution for a player figure at a critical point in the game simulate the reality very convincingly. While figures used in simulated games using a surface projectile often mimic the live action fairly well, figures devised for games using an aerial projectile, such as basketball, were so far much less successful.

[0004] Many simulated game inventions propose a catapult or a launcher: U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,242 (Rudell et al., 1998) shows a TWO SIDED BASKETBALL GAME with two simple launchers. U.S. Pat. No. 2,878,801 to Patchin et al. (1959) discloses a vertical TOY CATAPULT DEVICE with a horizontal support for rectangular projectiles. U.S. Pat. No. 2,203,990 to R. J. Haynur (1940) proposes a multiplayer GAME APPARATUS using a molded spring launcher and a projectile with parallel faces indicating a play board position for the next player. U.S. Pat. No. 1,612,699 to C. de V. Cole (1926) for a BASKET-BALL GAME has multiple player pieces, moving to random positions on the play board determined by a roll of dice, replaced for attempts at scoring by a catapult resembling an artillery piece. U.S. Pat. No. 731,850 to R. S. Bradbury (1903) discloses a GAME whereby a blade-spring launcher shoots a ball toward multiple baskets.

[0005] LEGO Sports started selling recently (2003) a type of a basketball player figure with a coil spring connecting its torso to its legs part, allowing the figure to ‘chest-slam’ a ball in a crude simulation of a throw. U.S. Pat. No. 6,171,169 to Saunders (2001) discloses an ARTICULATED TOY FIGURE SIMULATING BASKETBALL PLAY using a spring-loaded mechanism with a trigger and latch to swing an arm forward and downward, flinging a ball toward a basket. U.S. Pat. No. 2,911,758 to F. D. Carson uses a human figure shaped BALL CATAPULTING DEVICE with arms propelled by an elastic strip pulled crank to throw balls either upward from around its knees, or overhead backwards. U.S. Pat. No. 1,433,335 to K. Bensch (1922) discloses a BASKET-BALL TOY using figures with spring-loaded arms holding a cup, pulled by strings to shoot a ball. Probably the most realistically acting prior art figure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,330 to Ozawa (1997.) It shows a TOY BASKETBALL GAME WITH SELF-JUMPING PLAYER ejected from a stationary base and releasing the ball on contact with the basket rim, simulating a so-called ‘slam dunk.’ None of the known figures simulates a player executing a jump shot or a hook shot, perhaps the most common shooting actions in basketball, handball and other games using an aerial projectile.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] Accordingly, the present invention provides an easy to manufacture and inexpensive toy figure simulating a jump shot, a hook shot and a ball pass for simulated games using an aerial projectile, such as basketball and others. Several objects and advantages of the present invention are to provide such toy figure, more particularly:

[0007] 1. to provide a toy figure throwing an aerial projectile using the energy supplied by resilient means in the form of a coil, leaf or other type of spring, or the energy of a resilient or elastic material forming a part of the figure or of its supporting base, said toy figure having either fixed or rotatable arms;

[0008] 2. to provide said toy figure that may be made or decorated to resemble real life ballplayers for marketing purposes, including player numbers on club color uniforms; and

[0009] 3. to provide a method of playing a simulated basketball game using at least one said toy figure, where the figures in a game may be either all of the same type or the various designs described in the present invention can be used for different game positions.

[0010] Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] In the drawings, closely related parts have the same number but different alphabetic suffixes.

[0012]FIG. 1 shows a toy figure energized by a leaf spring, where the leaf spring is substantially horizontal or inclined on a sharp angle from horizontal. The arms of the figure are shown as fixed.

[0013]FIG. 2 shows a similar figure with a substantially vertical leaf spring.

[0014]FIG. 3 shows another toy figure propelled by a coil spring, with forearms rotated forward by a string.

[0015]FIG. 4 shows a similar toy figure with arms rotated around their shoulder pins by a shaft.

[0016]FIG. 5 shows an ‘executive toy’ version with a ball shooting hand on a leaf spring.

[0017]FIG. 6 describes a version of a tabletop board for a simulated basketball game using the toy figures described in FIGS. 1 through 5.

[0018]FIG. 7 shows a version of dice used to randomly select the next game action.

REFERENCE NUMERALS IN DRAWINGS

[0019] REFERENCE NUMERALS IN DRAWINGS 10 Toy figure 11, 21, 31, 41, 51 Base 12, 22, 52 Leaf spring 13, 23, 33, 43 Body 14, 24, 44 Arms and Hands 15, 25, 35, 45, 55 Ball or Aerial projectile 16 Directional marks 36, 46 Arm pivot 32, 42 Coil spring 32a Coil spring - bent upper end 32b Coil spring - bent lower end 32c As 32b, pushed down 34 Forearm and hand 37 String 38 Arm elbow 39 Pin 40 Flange 47 Shaft 48 Link 49a Upper pin 49b Lower pin 54 Hand 61 Play board 62 Half-court markings 63 Full-court markings 64 Position indicia 65 Directional indicia 66 Toy figure of present invention 67 Basket, backboard and stand 68 Counterweight

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION FIG. 1—A Preferred Embodiment

[0020]FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of my invention—a toy FIG. 10 simulating jump-shooting and ball passing in games using an aerial projectile. Said toy figure comprises a base 11, resilient means in the form of a leaf spring 12, and a body 13 in the shape of a ballplayer. Base 11 has a flat bottom surface large enough to provide stability. Spring 12 is attached toward one edge of base 11 and rising in a sharp angle to the horizontal plane over the center of said base, also for stability reasons. Body 13 is coupled to the opposite end of spring 12. Arms and hands 14 of the figure are fixed in a typical raised jump-shooting position. A ball or other aerial projectile 15 is placed upon hands 14 formed to carry it. Base 11 and body 13 including arms and hands 14 are preferably cast of a plastic or metal material or a suitable equivalent, and attached to spring 12 by an appropriate glue, screws or other comparable method including casting directly around the spring. The spring 12 is formed of a substantially flat rectangular piece of a resilient plastic, metal or other material strong enough to withstand repeated flexing and to impart enough force to propel the ball 15. The material, length, thickness and angle of the spring will affect the trajectory of the projectile, as will the weight of the projectile and other factors. Directional marks 16 may be placed on the base 11 or the spring 12. Projectile 15 may be made to the requirements of any particular purpose.

Operation of a Preferred Embodiment

[0021] A user places said toy FIG. 10 on a play board over positional or directional indicia if provided. Directional marks 16 can be used to orient the figure toward a target. The user places ball 15 upon hands 14 and bends down spring 12 as indicated by phantom lines 12 a, estimating the force necessary to shoot ball 15 a desired distance. When spring 12 is released, it rebounds to its original position, carrying body 13, hands 14 and ball 15 upward and forward on a curve. At the highest point of the curve the ball 15 is thrown in an arc indicated by the upper arrow.

Other Embodiments

[0022]FIG. 2 presents a similar toy figure with a substantially vertical leaf spring 22 carrying a body 23 and a ball 25 placed onto hands 24. To shoot, a user bends spring 22 backward as indicated by phantom lines, while holding a base 21. When spring 22 is released, a flatter shooting arc will be generated compared to a substantially horizontal spring. This type of toy figure may be positioned near a basket in a simulated basketball game, shooting ball 25 in a way resembling the action of a center or a forward. Arms and hands may be formed to simulate a hook shot, with one arm blocking opponents while the other arm throws ball in a high overhead arc.

[0023]FIG. 5 shows an ‘executive toy’ similar in function to FIG. 1. A hand 54 replaces the ballplayer shaped body 13 of FIG. 1. A base 51, a leaf spring 52 and hand 54 can be all formed together of a clear, black or otherwise colored plastic material or metal, or made of a combination of materials. Spring 52 should be resilient enough to impart sufficient momentum to a ball 55. A basket with a backboard and a stand formed from a similar material may also be provided. Instead of one hand 54, a pair of hands may be used.

[0024]FIG. 3 shows a partially sectioned view of another type of the toy figure. A coil spring 32 is anchored by its bent upper end 32 a to a base 31, and by its bent lower end 32 b to a body 33. Each forearm and hand 34 is attached to the body at an arm pivot 36. A string 37, representing connecting means, is attached at one end to base 31, goes through a cavity in body 33 around a pin 39 located in the shoulder area, and attaches to one forearm and hand 34 at an elbow 38.

[0025]FIG. 4: the toy figure uses a coil spring arrangement 42 similar to FIG. 3. Arms and hands 44 rotate around an arm pivot 46 joining them through a hollow body 43 within shoulder area. A shaft 47 is attached to said arm pivot 46 by an upper pin 49 a and a link 48. Shaft 47 is fixed rotatably to a base 41 by a lower pin 49 b. An optional flange 40 provides an easier hold while pushing down body 43. Rack and pinion assembly could be also used to translate the vertical movement of the body into the rotation of the arms.

[0026]FIGS. 3 and 4 operate in a similar way (numbers for FIG. 4 are in parentheses): the user presses down body 33 (43) stretching coil spring 32 (42) while steadying base 31 (41,) using flange 40 if provided. After forearms and hands 34 (arms and hands 44) rotate to a lower position indicated by phantom lines, the user places a ball 35 (45) upon the hands. When body 33 (43) is released, spring 32 (42) pushes the body upward while string 37 (shaft 47) force forearms 34 (arms 44) to rotate forward. The combined motion pushes ball 35 (45) upward and forward in an arc indicated by the upper arrows. At the top of the arc the ball 35 (45) is thrown toward a goal. Both bodies 33 and 43 are preferably cast of a plastic or metal material or a suitable equivalent, with a cavity for connecting means. Rotatable arms or forearms including hands are preferably cast of the same material as the body, and attached to the body by said arm pivot 36 (46). Said coil spring 32 (42) is formed of a spring metal wire capable of providing enough force to throw the ball without being too difficult to stretch by an intended group of users. Shaft 47, link 48, pins 39, 49 a and 49 b are preferably made of metal for strength and wear resistance.

[0027]FIG. 6 describes a version of a tabletop play board 61 for a simulated basketball game using the toy figures simulating a jump shot or a hook shot described in FIGS. 1 through 5. The board 61 can have either half-court game markings 62 and one basket, backboard and stand assembly 67 stabilized by a counterweight 68, or full-court markings 63 partially indicated by dashed lines, with two basket, backboard and stand assemblies 67 on opposite ends of board 61. The game can use one toy figure of present invention 66 or a plurality of them per team, using either one type of figure or different designs for different positions. For example, the toy figure of FIG. 1 could be used for both guard positions while toy figures shown in FIGS. 2, 3 or 4 would be placed in forward and center positions, one of them based on FIG. 2 simulating a hook shot. The toy figure(s) 66 are placed on position indicia 64 which may be replaced by directional indicia 65 as shown in positions numbered 4, 5 (under the toy FIG. 66) and 6 on the board 61. Directional indicia 65 pointing to the center of a basket should be supplemented by matching directional marks 16 as shown on the toy figure in FIG. 1. The positional and directional indicia could be variously combined on different sides of board 61, for example to balance different skill levels of users. The game starts with a draw or a roll of standard dice to decide which user should start—the highest or the lowest roll starts the game as agreed by users. If only one toy FIG. 66 is used per side, the starting user puts it on the indicia 64 or 65 corresponding to the number on the dice. If 2 or more FIGS. 66 are used per side (5 as in the real game of basketball etc.,) the user passes a ball to the figure placed in the corresponding position before starting the game. Rolling number 6 on the dice could result in a foul shot from position number 6, or optionally in losing the turn to the next user. Users can take turns rolling the dice and shooting the ball, or can use the dice described in FIG. 7 to determine the action to be taken next. Score can be kept according to the usual basketball rules with one, two or three points per shot. A game ends in any way agreed on—a time limit, certain score reached etc.

[0028]FIG. 7 shows a variant of an action die for random determination of the next action to be taken by a user. If a user rolls P (Pass), the ball shall pass to a position optionally determined by a roll of a standard die indicating positions 1 through 6. User that rolls S (Shoot) may attempt shooting at the goal from the position in possession of the ball. Rolling T (Turn-over) means the loss of the ball to the next user. The 3S-2P-1T probabilities indicated in FIG. 7 can be of course modified.

Conclusion, Ramifications, and Scope

[0029] Accordingly, the reader will see that the toy figures of the present invention simulate more realistically the jump shot or hook shot action of such aerial projectile games as simulated basketball and others. The toy figures are inexpensive to manufacture and can be shaped and decorated to resemble popular live ballplayers and their game uniforms, providing various marketing opportunities.

[0030] While the above description contains specific embodiments of the invention, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention. Many modifications obvious to those skilled in the art may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the toy figure body can be oriented sideways with one arm formed to shoot a so-called hook shot, the leaf spring can be variously shaped to generate different ball trajectories, a rack and pinion assembly can be used as connecting means in place of string 37 or shaft 47 to rotate the arms, a spring type from one embodiment can be combined with an arm assembly from another, the body can be hand carved from exotic wood in any animate shape, such as an imaginary extraterrestrial being tossing a medium size galaxy and so on. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents. 

I claim:
 1. A toy figure throwing an aerial projectile, comprising: a. a base of sufficient size to provide stability; b. an aerial projectile; c. a body of animate shape formed to support said aerial projectile; and d. resilient means for supplying energy to throw said aerial projectile, whereby said resilient means carrying said body and connecting it to said base may be bent or compressed and then released, forcing said body back substantially to its original position with sufficient speed to throw said aerial projectile which was placed upon said body.
 2. The toy figure of claim 1 wherein said body is formed to resemble at least one hand shaped to support and throw said aerial projectile.
 3. The toy figure of claim 1 wherein said resilient means is the material forming a part of said toy figure.
 4. A toy figure throwing an aerial projectile, comprising: a. a base of sufficient size to provide stability; b. an aerial projectile; c. a body formed to resemble an animate ballplayer supporting said aerial projectile; and d. resilient means for supplying energy to throw said aerial projectile, whereby said resilient means carrying said body and connecting it to said base may be deformed and then released to rebound substantially to their original form and position with speed sufficient to throw said aerial projectile placed upon said body.
 5. The toy figure of claim 4 wherein arms of said body are raised to simulate a jump shot or a hook shot and hands are formed to support said aerial projectile;
 6. The toy figure of claim 4 wherein any part of arms of said body is rotatable and said toy figure has connecting means for rotating said arms when said body is moving relative to said base.
 7. The toy figure of claim 4 wherein said body is formed and decorated to resemble a uniform of a popular ballplayer.
 8. The toy figure of claim 4 wherein said resilient means have a form of a leaf spring.
 9. The toy figure of claim 4 wherein said resilient means have a form of a coil spring.
 10. A method of playing a simulated tabletop game of basketball, comprising: a. providing a game set comprising a playing board with basketball court markings, a ball, and at least one basket assembly including a basket, a backboard and a stand, all scaled-down; b. providing indicia on said playing board indicating at least one predetermined game position; c. providing at least one toy figure with resilient means for throwing said ball, said resilient means connecting springably said toy figure base to its body; d. placing each said toy figure over said indicia in a predetermined manner dependent on the number of toy figures used; e. deciding in any acceptable manner the order in which users shall play the game, and f. trying to score points by placing said ball onto said toy figure and attempting to throw said ball into said basket.
 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of: a. providing an action die marked on each face with suitable symbols to randomly determine the next action in the game selected from the group consisting of passing said ball to another game position, shooting said ball at said basket, and turning over said ball to the next user; b. rolling said action die to determine the next action in the game, and c. taking the action shown on the top face of said action die.
 12. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of: a. providing a standard die marked on each face with from 1 to 6 symbols, and b. rolling said standard die to randomly determine the position number to pass the ball to or to shoot at the basket from. 